Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are being taken to manage pressure on NHS services by improving outcomes for patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions.

Improving the health and work outcomes for people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions will help deliver the Government's mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future.

To manage pressure on NHS services, we are working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with health system leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, which are the highest of all community waits, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.

Patients with MSK conditions will also soon be able to bypass their general practitioners (GPs) and directly access community services, including physiotherapy, pain management, and orthopaedics, in the NHS App. The landmark change will deliver faster treatment for the flare up of existing conditions including arthritis, backpain, and joint pain, while enabling GPs to focus on more complex cases, reducing pressure on hospitals and freeing up GPs.